Intercepted
by Dannyblue
Summary: There's nothing bad about meeting two hot guys at the mall. But what if one of the hot guy's motives aren't quite what you think. Very mild, implied pre-slashiness.


**Title:** Intercepted  
**Author:** Dannyblue  
**Fandom:** _Drake & Josh_  
**Word Count:** About 1100 words  
**Rating:** PG  
**Warnings:** Very mild, implied pre-slashiness.  
**Summary:** There's nothing bad about meeting two hot guys at the mall. But what if one of the hot guy's motives aren't quite what you think.  
**Spoilers:** This takes place some time after Josh broke up with Mindy.  
**Disclaimer:** I don't own _Drake & Josh_.  
**Author's Note:** This is my very first D&J fic. The idea just popped into my head, so enjoy.

* * *

_Wow,_ Tracy Hilliard thought as she stared at the guy behind the candy counter. _How cute is __**he**__?!_

And he was, too. Tall. Dark hair. And sweet. You could tell by the way he smiled at everyone who came up to the counter, especially the little kids.

And if he had blue eyes...

Heart fluttering with anticipation, Tracy straightened her back and donned her most charming smile. With a toss of her honey-blond, she started across the room.

"Hey."

Startled, Tracy swung around.

There was a guy standing behind her. A really, _really_ cute guy. All slim and trim and sleek, and wearing a pair of jeans that should be _illegal_. And the way he was smiling at her, with that mischievous, "bad boy" sparkle in his eyes...

Well, he was enough to make Tracy wish she went for the "bad boy" type.

Then she heard a velvety smooth voice call out, "Enjoy the movie!" And she went all melty inside.

Remembering her mission, Tracy glanced over her shoulder at her objective. "Hey. Sorry, but I really gotta..."

"I'm Drake." And he held out his hand.

Tracy had been raised to be polite. To say please and thank you, and not snub people when they introduced themselves. So, with a sigh, she shook his hand. "I'm Tracy."

And he sorta smirk-grinned at her. "Hi, Tracy. You must be new around here, because I would remember seeing someone as pretty as you before."

As lines went, it kinda sucked. But, the way he said it, combined with that smirk-grin, Tracy would've let herself fall for it under different circumstances.

"I don't live around here. I'm staying with my cousin over the weekend, and..."

"Oh. So you don't go to Belleview High, then."

"Nope. Austin. It's really not that far..."

"Ah," Drake interrupted, smile widening. "Interesting."

Tracy frowned. What was so interesting about her going to high school in another district? And why did he sound almost pleased she didn't go to Belleview?

Before she could really puzzle over it, Drake said, "So, you know Josh?"

"Josh?" Tracy's brow furrowed in confusion.

"Yeah, the guy over there." He nodded his head towards the candy counter. "The way you were staring, I figured you knew him."

Tracy's face heated with embarrassment. Man, had she been _that_ obvious? She guessed so, if Drake had noticed.

But her embarrassment faded under the weight of one important detail. "Do _you_ know him?"

"Yeah. He's my brother."

Wow. She never would've guessed. The two guys didn't look anything alike. And, while they were both cute, it was in totally different ways.

But, being Josh's brother and all, Drake obviously knew a lot about him. Stuff he might maybe tell Tracy.

"So, you guys go to Belleview..."

"Yeah, that Josh," Drake interrupted. Arms folded, he smiled fondly in his brother's direction. "He's a great guy. Like, the best. I mean, I've never met anyone who works as hard as he does." Then, his smile faded. "Too bad he doesn't have more to show for it. If only he didn't have so many gambling debts to..." Suddenly, Drake gasped, a look of horror spreading across his face. He turned to Tracy, eyes stricken. "Wait! Forget I said that!"

But how was a person supposed to forget something like _that_? "Uh, gambling debts?"

"No! It's not what you think!" Drake rushed to assure her. "I mean, it's totally not a problem. I know my brother, and he can quit any time he wants. Really, he can!"

Mouth hanging open, Tracy stared at him. Was he saying the hot, sweet guy behind the candy counter---the guy who probably had _amazing_ blue eyes--was some kind of...gambling addict?

Seeing the look on her face, Drake went from upset to downright distraught. "It's not what you think! Really! I mean, it's not like there are scary looking guys coming to our house every day to break our legs or something. Well, there was that one guy. But Josh totally handled it! I mean, yeah, he had a black eye for a few days, but that was it. And he hasn't missed a payment since."

And, in a flash, Tracy imagined a shadowy, hulking figure crouching outside her house. Waiting. Grabbing her as soon as she stepped outside, and telling her all the nasty things he'd do to her if her boyfriend didn't pay up!

"Uh, yeah." Tracy took a cautious step back. "Um, I gotta go. My cousin and her friends are inside, and probably wondering where I am, so..."

"Wait!" Drake stared at her with wide, pleading eyes. "You can't tell anyone! Not that there's anything to tell." And he tried to laugh like it was all a big joke. "I mean, like I said, it's not really a problem. But just, please, don't say anything."

And Tracy's heart went out to the poor guy. It was obvious he cared about his brother, and was totally on edge about the trouble Josh was in. Why else would he spill his guts to a complete stranger?

"I won't tell," she promised with reassuring smile.

Drake's shoulders sagged in relief. "Thank you," he said, wiping a hand across his eyes. Like maybe he was fighting back tears.

Heart aching with pity, Tracy gave him one last, sad smile before turning to head towards the theaters.

As she passed the candy counter, she couldn't help staring at the hot guy with the dark hair and velvety voice. Regretfully, she shook her head. "What a waste."

* * *

As Tracy disappeared out of sight, Drake's look of misery morphed into a satisfied smirk. It was too bad he wasn't into the whole acting thing. Winning an Oscar would be pretty cool.

Still, he almost felt bad about what he'd just done. Tracy seemed like a nice enough girl. Not to mention pretty. And she obviously had good taste.

But it hadn't been long since Josh broke up with Mindy. And he needed more time before jumping into something new with another girl.

Lots and lots of time.

Feeling pleased with himself, Drake headed over to the candy counter.

"Hey," he said to his step-brother's bent head.

Looking up from the cash register, Josh seemed startled to see him. "Hey. Didn't I just see you heading over to talk to a girl?"

"Yep." And, when Drake headed over to "talk" to a girl, he was usually...busy for at _least_ half an hour. Only he hadn't had the usual in mind when he went over to talk to Tracy.

"So, what happened?" Josh asked.

Grinning, Drake shrugged. "Turns out I'm not her type."

**THE END**


End file.
